Monday, April 6, 2015

Osprey in a Quandary

This pair of Osprey, the male on the left and the female on the right, appear to be assessing their old nest site and contemplating what to do. In fact I think they look a little discouraged. The nest site is on a light pole in the ball field at Wallace Marine Park in West Salem. Last year the nest was a tall stack of sticks three or four feet high, obviously used repeatedly for several years. We learned the other day from a lady that walks her dog there daily that winter storms broke apart the nest. Now the question is, will they rebuild the nest? I have photographed the female at the sight a couple of times since the 28th of March. But yesterday, the 5th of April, is the first time I have seen the male at the nest site. Because it is the male that brings the majority of the large sticks to the nest site, the female may have a big task in convincing him to do the necessary rebuilding. Osprey normally come back to the same nest every Spring, but with this one so badly destroyed , and with several empty easy to construct on platforms in the area, it will be interesting to watch for the decision they make.